The U.S. Navy is heavily involved in ocean salvage operations, particularly the recovery of test torpedoes which lay on the ocean floor. The primary method of recovery is the use of a tethered underwater vehicle which has manipulator arms for grabbing the test torpedo. The underwater vehicle is controlled by an operator on a surface ship. With a television network the operator can move the underwater vehicle in position so that the manipulator arms can be utilized to grab the torpedo. The underwater vehicle is then raised so as to bring the test torpedo to the surface ship for ultimate recovery.
The use of manipulator arms on tethered underwater vehicles has been effective, however, the manipulator arms have to be moved separately from the underwater vehicle in order to grab a test torpedo. There has been a need for an improved grabbing device which can be utilized by mere placement about the test torpedo, and which is compatible with other methods of deployment, such as use by divers or by manned underwater vehicles.